FERAL SWINE FOUND WITH PSEUDORABIES IN MIDLAND COUNTY

State officials said Wednesday they were stepping up surveillance of feral swine and eradication efforts after one was identified as having the feared pseudorabies virus.

The pork industry called the discovery alarming, noting that pseudorabies was eradicated from the Michigan pork industry in 2000. The finding demonstrates the concern of a feral swine infecting a hog from the pork industry is real, said Sam Hines, executive vice president Michigan Pork Producers Association.

Department of Agriculture Director Keith Creagh discussed the situation Wednesday with the Commission of Agriculture and Rural Development and said the state had anticipated it would eventually find a feral swine with pseudorabies.

The discovery comes as debate continues to swirl about whether the state should let swine hunting operations, largely considered the source of feral swine, continue to exist but under new regulations, or shut down that industry. Bills are pending in the Senate to regulate the operations and need to pass the Legislature by October 8 to avoid having the Department of Natural Resources begin implementing a shutdown order of the swine hunting facilities (HB 4503, HB 4504, HB 4505, HB 4506, HB 4699).

Mr. Creagh downplayed worries over the discovery

"It was not unanticipated," he said. "There is no impact over in the commercial production, and that's consistent with the USDA and their regulatory constructs."

Mr. Creagh said the state does need to reduce its feral pig population and noted it found some in 2008 and some in 2006 with disease.

"This is not new," he said. "This is merely a continuation of information that we've known over time."

But Mr. Hines, while praising the state's stepped up surveillance and eradication efforts, called the finding a "major concern."

"It certainly reinforces what we've been saying throughout this whole controversy," he said. "The bigger issue obviously would be if one of these wild pigs transfers the virus to a domestic operation."

Should that happen, state hogs would likely get quarantined, and be disastrous for the pork industry, which has its hogs processed in Indiana and Ohio, not Michigan.

"We'd have nowhere to go with 20 to 30,000 head of hogs a week," he said. "It would just be economically devastating to our industry."

Mr. Hines noted that should a hog in the pork industry become infected, the disease only affects hogs, not humans.

The discovery of a feral swine with the virus came as result of a national surveillance system where pigs shot in the wild by hunters are examined for evidence of it. Mr. Creagh said the state will step up surveillance and eradication in Midland County, where the swine was killed.

Commission Chair Don Coe of Traverse City asked about the possibility of putting a bounty on feral swine to encourage hunters to shoot them. But Commissioner Bob Kennedy of St. Charles said that was unneeded.

"I don't know if a bounty would do a lot," he said. "You talk to any hunters I know of, they're going to shoot them."

And Mr. Creagh said a bounty system would be complex to implement.

Meanwhile, DNR Director Rodney Stokes formally replied to Rep. Ed McBroom (R-Vulcan) regarding his concerns that the department had begun to enforce the shutdown order on the swine hunting facilities. In July, DNR staff conducted preliminary inspections of the facilities in preparation for the possibility the Legislature would not pass regulations, resulting in their shuttering.

Mr. McBroom had asked Department of Environmental Quality Director Dan Wyant, who is the group executive of the departments that include the DNR, to stop the DNR's inspections, but he referred the matter to Mr. Stokes.

"It is unfortunate that our desire to collect information about swine shooting operations has caused confusion to some operators in the industry," Mr. Stokes wrote in the letter to Mr. McBroom and three other legislators. "However, no enforcement of the order has been implemented, nor has any enforcement action been taken. Please be assured that the DNR is interested in establishing and furthering a positive working relationship with all of Michigan's fenced game operations. We recognize our shared interest in protecting the health of captive animals and the surrounding ecosystem. Our inspection and regulatory efforts have and will reflect that partnership goal in a positive way."

Mr. McBroom could not be reached late Wednesday.

OTHER ITEMS: On other issues, Mr. Creagh said Governor Rick Snyder's special message on health care, to be delivered later this year, will encompass food and agriculture on areas like school lunch programs, access to food and the Food Code.

Mr. Creagh said a workgroup reviewing departmental rules has identified as many as nine that should be repealed. They largely involve rules that are no longer relevant, such as those dealing with the Upper Peninsula State Fair, which the state no longer handles.

Department legislative liaison Derek Bajema said officials would probably seek repeal of the rules through the Legislature as opposed to the rules process.

Officials also discussed the need to find more money for the Michigan Agriculture Environmental Assurance Program to ensure it reaches its goal of having 5,000 participants. At present, there are only three certifiers for the program. Probably six are needed, officials said.

GONGWER 8/17/11